The Great Friendship Project Founder David – has himself been at his lowest ebb due to loneliness when first moving to London and came up with the idea for the Project as a CIC.
Loneliness is a HUGE problem in London and further afield with sobering stats like these:
- Nearly 50-60% of young adults report that they experience loneliness on a weekly basis (nearly double that of the average population).
- The harmful physical impact of loneliness is now known to be equivalent to 15 cigarettes a day.
- Individuals between the ages of 16 and 34 are five times more likely to suffer from chronic loneliness than those over 65.
- Over 80% of young adults wouldn’t talk about their experience of loneliness for fear of being judged or mocked.
Asmodee provides copies of new game releases to David to enable the funding of the meet ups, alongside board game demonstrators. Asmodee founders have also featured on David’s podcast to help spread the word and Asmodee looks forward to supporting the CIC as it extends to other places around the UK and beyond!
Let’s introduce you to the real people behind the collab:
Paulo is 25 and lives in Wembley with family. He was born in London and works as a freelance video editor. Paulo first heard about The Great Friendship project back in 2002 and was fighting off an element of loneliness himself and a desire to widen his social circle.
Which is exactly why David Gradon started the project:
“I set up the project as I know from first-hand experience just how hard it can be to find a sense of community in London and make new friends as a young adult. People move around a lot and many work remotely, especially post-COVID. Meanwhile, community centres, pubs and other traditional hubs for social connection are waning and the rising cost of living has made socialising more difficult than ever. And although we’re supposed to be more connected than ever through the internet and social media apps, sadly it often provides what I describe as a ‘fast food diet of connection”
The CIC now has over 35,000 members and its events regularly draw in 100 to 200 young adults each time. It also has big plans to transform the community project into a national charity and bring about social change with some exciting new campaigns and partnerships over the next five years.
For Paulo though, going along to an event opened the door to a large social circle so he takes up the story:
“Being part of the London Friendship Project and attending the Board Game Nights has honestly made my life in London so much better. It has allowed me to develop a multitude of friendships with people from all walks of life – which have also now resulted in plans being made outside of meetup, such as holidays, day trips etc! There is something about playing board games that takes the awkwardness out of introducing yourself and the games from Asmodee are great fun and suit everyone.”
“I would say to anyone who is feeling a little disconnected or lonely – just come along one time and see what you think. I committed to going once a week after my first time and I was able to start to recognise familiar faces over time, and develop friendships naturally. Whilst I got very lucky in meeting two of my now close friends on my first event, I understand that this isn’t a realistic outcome, but if you keep attending events then it is inevitable that you will develop connections!”
David concludes:
“Whilst loneliness is particularly pronounced in London, we’re acutely aware that this issue isn’t just a London problem – it also affects young adults all over the UK. We now have big ambitions to massively scale up our operations and become a national charity in the next 24 months, so we can support young adults across the country. However, in order for that to happen, policymakers, health bodies and the general public first need to recognise the scale and severity of the problem. We’re also working with leading universities to evaluate our approach, so we can develop a strong evidence base and blueprint for our national expansion. And, of course, in the meantime, we’ll continue to change lives through creating community and connection at our large events across London, as we help to try and make the capital a little less lonely for young people.”
